Two Christmas's
by Ice Lynx
Summary: Kurt stumbles upon an anti-mutant rally and meets a girl that could change his whole Christmas.


Title; A Christmas  
  
Author; Ice Lynx  
  
Summary; Kurt stumbles upon an anti-mutant rally, and meets a girl that could change his whole Christmas.  
  
Disclaimers; I own nothing but some idiot teens and a plot. This story has both.  
  
My thanks; to my friend Evie and to Ashy, both inspired this story... and to my brain, who might as well be another person because I have no control over it, lol. Also to Malachi, who showed me ff.net, and to my laptop for working, and my internet for not breaking down again. This is getting off focus, lol.  
  
Pleas; Please review! Please!  
  
Other; Thanks for reading this!  
  
-Ice Lynx  
  
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Kurt walked down the side of the street with his coat pulled tight over him. It was freezing in the city, and icy snow, not quite hail but hard enough to hurt when it hit pelted from the sky. Many hoped to get home as quickly as possible to escape the cold weather and prepare for Christmas, which would be here in a mere two days. Kurt was heading to a restaurant where his friends were waiting with their Christmas shopping, he himself was carrying a bag with gifts and thanking the small image inducer on his wrist for making it possible that he was able to go get the gifts.  
  
Up ahead Kurt saw a small troupe of people all bunched together, carrying signs and headed up the road, the same direction as he. A teen, who looked like she was 17 had her winter hood down as she slowed down. An older woman, maybe her grandmother, stopped with the teen and started to screech at her.  
  
"What are you doing girl? You'll make us all late!"  
  
"I don't want to go!" The girl replied. The group stopped and looked at her, but the grandmother waved them on and they continued. Then the tiny grey haired woman turned back to the teen and slapped her hard across the cheek. This action caused Kurt to stop in his tracks, though the girl didn't move or flinch at all.  
  
"I won't go," she said, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face with a black glove.  
  
"You will go, or so help me child you will no longer be a part of this family!" The woman hissed.  
  
"I'm not in the family then, I won't go!" Another slap. Again the girl stayed still, and again Kurt was shocked at the woman's behavior. Striking a girl for not wanting to do something? What would she not want to do that would deserve this punishment? But then Kurt reminded himself that this was none of his business and continued on his way, though he felt slightly guilty about it.  
  
A few moments later Kurt heard something ahead of him, the sounds of people shouting. Suddenly he realized where the girl and her grandmother were going, and where the others were carrying their signs to. Inwardly he groaned as he rounded the corner and hurried forward. A huge crowd of people were standing in front of a police station and brandishing signs that read things like "Mutants Are Demons" and "Mutants are Not Humans". The group was shouting different things when a man stood on something that made him rise a few feet above the rest. He had a deep, loud voice and he started a chant.  
  
"Human rights! Human rights!" The chant became louder as Kurt tried to hurry on unnoticed, but man jumped towards him, grabbing his wrist.  
  
"Come, don't you want to get rid of those horrible creatures?" the man yelled above the chant.  
  
"I don't have time," Kurt said desperately, trying to pull away. But the man's grip tightened.  
  
"You'll be completely out of time if one of those mutants get you," he warned. "They're all blood thirsty, as bad as cannibals!" Kurt tried to pull away again when suddenly the man's grip was wrenched away. Both turned to see why he had and saw the girl Kurt had seen earlier pulling the man's hand off.  
  
"Leave him alone," she said. Kurt smiled at her through the snow, and noticed her lip was cut. She smiled back and then glared at the man. "It's almost Christmas, and he has to go. Lay off, it's not like he's a mutant himself." Kurt shifted uncomfortably but neither noticed.  
  
"He needs to show this city his support, we all do." The man retorted.  
  
"Not all mutants are cannibals, and that one was insane. There are plenty of normal humans who are insane, in case you didn't notice," The girl shot back. The man glared at her when the girl's grandmother came over.  
  
"What's going on?" the little woman demanded.  
  
"Nothing Ma`am," the girl said quickly, looking down.  
  
"She doesn't think this man should show his support Mrs. Cliffing," the man said immediately, then he turned and left. The woman looked at Kurt, who tried to smile shakily.  
  
"It vosent her," Kurt said. "I just don't have time-" but the woman ignored him, glaring at the girl.  
  
"I will not go through this again," the woman hissed.  
  
"Tucker was bothering him, I was-"  
  
"You're forgetting your place, child. If you continue this I will personally make sure you pay when we get home," the woman said. Then she smiled a toothless smile at Kurt. "I'm sorry about my granddaughter sir, she is going through those difficult teenage years. But may I interest you in joining us?" Kurt shook his head.  
  
"She vos not a problem ma`am, and I have to go. Sorry." He started to inch away and the woman smiled again.  
  
"No problem, dear, and sorry again about June." With that she turned and marched away, leaving Kurt with the girl, who sighed.  
  
"My name's not June," she said. "It's Leonard, Lenny for short. Grandma changed it because I was named after my father, who was stubborn about having a Leonard JR even when he got a girl instead of a boy," the girl laughed. "Anyway, thanks for what you said, I hope Tucker didn't bug you too much." She said and went to walk away when Kurt grabbed her arm. She looked at him and he immediately let go.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said. But Lenny smiled.  
  
"You wanted something?" she asked.  
  
"Um, I saw you back there, down the street. Are you alright?" Kurt had no idea why he was asking this, and the girl looked at the road.  
  
"Yeah, I'm ok," she said.  
  
"You don't really believe in this, do you?" Kurt ventured.  
  
"No, I don't see any reason to lock up or kill mutants. Not like they can help it, being different. Nah, this is my grandmother's idea. My dad didn't believe in it either, that's why she changed my name after he died. She makes me go to these things." Kurt nodded sympathetically, and now that he looked closer he could see a disappearing bruise around her eye.  
  
After a moment Lenny looked back at the group of protesters, which some cops were watching and a few even joining in. She sighed.  
  
"Well, have a merry Christmas," she said, sticking out her hand. Kurt took it and smiled at her.  
  
"You to," he said. "You're a very nice girl." Lenny smiled as she walked away.  
  
"And you have pretty eyes." She replied. Kurt watched her go when someone screamed his name.  
  
"Kurt! Oh man, common! It's too cold for you to be late." Kurt looked ahead through the snow and saw Rogue and Logan, and when they saw him they sped up.  
  
"What the hell?" Logan said, glaring at the protesters. He looked at Kurt, who was watching Lenny. "What the hell elf? Why are you sticking around here?" Lenny saw Kurt watching them and waved slightly before the man that had talked to Kurt before pressed a sing into her hands, which she refused, glaring at him.  
  
"You met someone?" Rogue said, looking at Lenny, "You met her? But Kurt, she's one of them. Common, let's get outta here." The trio walked away and Logan looked over at Kurt.  
  
"How did you meet *her*?" he said.  
  
"She is not one of them, she helped me get avay from them." Kurt replied.  
  
"She was standing with them," Rogue pointed out.  
  
"Her grandmother makes her," Kurt said. Logan snorted.  
  
"I bet." He muttered. "Come on, the others are waiting."  
  
*****  
  
"You were hanging around protesters?!" Scott said, looking at Kurt shocked after Logan and Rogue had explained where they had found him. "What if they had caught you?" Kurt sighed, his disguised eyes looking away and around the small café.  
  
"I vos talking vith a teenager. She didn't believe in the protest," he said.  
  
"But Scott's right," Ororo spoke up. "It's not safe." Kurt nodded, knowing it was useless to argue with the team leader. His thoughts traveled back to Lenny and what she had said. She proved that there were some humans that didn't hate mutants, but it was obvious that she couldn't do much to disobey her grandmother. He felt sorry for the girl and wondered what she would do in one of the more violent protests.  
  
Two days later all of the X Men were sitting in the recreational room and looking at the large decorated tree, wrapping paper littering the floor like a sheet of colors and designs. Everyone was laughing and talking and looking at their presents closer, thanking the givers and munching on Christmas cookies.  
  
"Thanks Kurt, I love the bracelet, it's so beautiful!" Rogue said. Kurt smiled.  
  
"And thank you for the vatch, I needed one." He replied. Rogue smiled back at him when Xavier came through the door.  
  
"Merry Christmas professor!" everyone said in unison. Xavier also smiled but had a strange look in his eyes. Logan groaned.  
  
"I've seen that look before. What is it this time, Magneto? Protesters?" He emphasized the word "protesters" and gave a sideways glance at Kurt, who sighed. Xavier ignored the comment and spoke loudly.  
  
"Yes, you are correct Logan, there is a problem. Some mutants have been captured and taken outside a court house in New York, a rally is going on there and one mutant has already been killed. I'm only looking for volunteers, and I know this is Christmas morning." He finished and looked around.  
  
"But why can't the police take care of a rally?" Rogue asked. Xavier sighed and turned on the TV, and instantly a woman in heavy coats came on, reporting on the rally the professor was talking about. The camera switched views and all of the X Men stared at the crowd in front of the court building. There were pretty much the same signs as the people Kurt had seen carrying, but there were about three thousand people and they weren't shouting anything together. Police were on the edged, but every time they tried to arrest someone everyone would jump forward and hit them away. The professor turned the TV off and the X Men looked at eachother.  
  
"I'll go," Scott said immediately. Ororo, Logan, Kurt and Jean nodded. Rogue started to nod but Logan growled at her, and she glared back but stopped nodding.  
  
"Alright, then you five will go. Don't try and break up the rally, just see if you can get all of the mutants out of there. All of them, even the deceased if you can." Xavier said, then left. Soon the X Men were flying away in their jet and had reached the rally in no time.  
  
"I bet you friend is down there," Logan growled. Kurt was wondering the same thing, but it was impossible to find anyone specific in the sea of faces and coats. A soft snow, unlike the icey one that had fallen before was drifting down from the sky. Scott steered the jet away from the city and landed it outside the borders, and Kurt put on his image inducer.  
  
"Alright team, this is the plan," Scott said, turning to face them. He ignored Logan's smirk and continued. "Pair up, Kurt with Ororo, I'm with Jean, Logan, you'll just go off on your own anyway, so you're by yourself. Find the mutants, then contact Jean and she'll get the others to you, and we'll figure out how to get them out then. Everyone understand? Alright, let's go." Everyone filed out and went into the city, catching the few cabs that were still on the road and getting out at the rally.  
  
They split up and managed to get in the crowd, Ororo and Kurt holding hand to keep from being separated. They were both extremely nervous about being in the middle of such a huge group of mutant protesters and stayed close together.  
  
"Where do you think they are?" Ororo asked Kurt, speaking loud enough for him to hear her. He shrugged and looked around.  
  
"Hey! Hey you! Kurt!"  
  
"Is someone calling your name?" Ororo asked. Kurt looked around, bewildered.  
  
"Vy vould anyone be- oh! Maybe it's Lenny!" he said.  
  
"The girl you met a couple days ago? The protester?"  
  
"She is not a protester!" Kurt said, sighing. He felt a tap on his back and turned to see Lenny, grinning at him.  
  
"No, I'm not!" she said, looking at Ororo. "My grandmother is."  
  
"Vot happened?" Kurt asked, noticing the smeared blood under Lenny's nose.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Got into a fight, that's all. I'm headed out of this hellhole, but I saw you and decided to say hi. What are you doing here?" she asked, suddenly looking a little suspicious. Kurt tried to come up with a reason but Ororo avoided the question.  
  
"I heard there were some mutants here, where are they?" she asked. Lenny looked at her and nodded in one direction.  
  
"Up there, saw them myself. It's horrible what they're doing to them, and one's only a kid! I tried to stop them, but it didn't really work out. Why?"  
  
"Ve need to get to them, can you show us the vay?" Kurt asked. Lenny nodded and started forward, pushing people out of her way.  
  
"They're not far, just go where the shouting is loudest and where you can hear laughter," she called back. "Though I'm gonna be looking for the reason you're here sooner or later, I thought you didn't agree with this!"  
  
"Ve need to make questions come later," Kurt replied, struggling to keep up.  
  
"HEY! GUYS! GET OVER HERE!" Lenny screamed suddenly, making Kurt and Ororo jump. Lenny turned and smiled at them. "Sorry, just me. Hold on, here they come." Through the crowd several other teenagers, all appearing to have been in the same fight as Lenny came through, pushing past signs and people.  
  
"Who are they?" Ororo asked. Lenny smiled at her an pointed at each one, saying their name.  
  
"This is Rebecca, Charlie, Rodrigo, and Samantha. They're like me, our families make us come, none of us like it at all. They helped me earlier. Guys? This is, was your name Kurt? Yeah, ok, this is Kurt, the guy I told you about."  
  
"He is cute!" Samantha said. Kurt blushed and Lenny looked embarrassed.  
  
"Uh, sorry Kurt, (Samantha I'm gonna kill you). Oh, and this is, uh..."  
  
"Ororo," Ororo said. Lenny smiled.  
  
"Yeah, Ororo. They're looking for the mutants, you guys wanna come?" Lenny looked at her friends. Both boys nodded and Rebecca looked willing but Samantha looked around nervously.  
  
"I can't, my dad *will* kill me," she said. "He didn't see me back there, but still, I can't. See you guys later." Lenny nodded and Samantha left.  
  
"No problem, thanks anyway. Ok, so the rest of us are going?" Three heads nodded and they set forward again.  
  
After a few more moments they came upon a group of tightly packed people with their backs turned out. Lenny squeezed through, followed by her friends, who grabbed Kurt and Ororo and pulled them in after. All of them found themselves in a ring of hooting people, all laughing at one crumpled figure in the center. It was a little boy, who had webbed fingers, large ears, and a large cut above his hazel eyes. He could not have been more than six, and Ororo and Kurt gasped when they saw him. Lenny pulled them back out of the group.  
  
"What do you want with that mutant?" she asked. Her friends looked at the pair, who just stared back. "Do you want to help that kid or what?"  
  
"Ve vant to help the mutants," Kurt answered.  
  
"We should contact Jean," Ororo reminded him. Lenny looked at them for a moment and then grabbed Kurt's wrist, revealing the small image inducer. Immediately she dropped it, and Kurt jumped slightly. She got in close, bringing Kurt and Ororo's heads in closer so she could whisper.  
  
"You're mutants, both of you, aren't you?" she asked. "I've seen those things before, my friend's mother used to wear one. It's an image inducer. And just let me guess, but Jean is a telepath or something and you're here to get those mutants out?" Kurt and Ororo stared at her and then slowly nodded. "Ok then, guys, get in here," the other teens joined the huddle. "This is what's gonna go down, you know that small alley up near Grove Street?"  
  
"Yes," Kurt said.  
  
"Great, you all make a distraction, me and Rodrigo can get this kid out of here. While you guys finish up we grab the kid and high tail it outta here, and we'll meet up at the back of the alley. You guy's ok with that?" All of Lenny's friends nodded and looked at Kurt and Ororo.  
  
"What do you think?" Ororo asked.  
  
~ Scott says go with it, we found two other mutants. ~ The teens jumped and looked at Kurt and Ororo as they all heard Jean's voice in their heads. Lenny looked around.  
  
"Yep, they've got a telepath here. So you two in?"  
  
"Yes," Kurt said.  
  
"Be careful," Ororo said, looking around. Lenny grinned.  
  
"Watch out for Mike, he's got a mean punch. What's the telepath's name?"  
  
"Jean," Kurt said. They all looked at Lenny as she closed her eyes tightly, obviously trying to connect with Jean. After a moment she looked around and smiled.  
  
"The kid's terrified, but expecting us. Alright, Kurt? You go around the back. Rodrigo to the left, over that way. Rebecca? Stay and hit from here, Charlie, go opposite Ro, and you're in charge of distraction organization. Attack with that 1 to 4 movement, that should work. Um, Kurt can go first. And dude, don't stop if you get hit once, wait for at least three hits before you bail." Lenny said. Kurt and Ororo exchanged looks.  
  
"Ororo, stay with me," Lenny continued. "We'll get the mutant. I'm not sure what kinda mutations you have, but if you can get outta here using them, do. Don't worry about any of us, and you all know what to do. Just like last summer, only without the masks. Everyone good? Kurt, when Charlie yells 1, trust me, you'll hear him, you launch yourself at the closest person in group. Ro, you stay out here and wait for me. As soon as I run by you follow. I'll grab the kid, then we bail. If anything happens to me get the kid and keep running to the meeting place, I'll get there somehow. Ok, everyone got it? Let's go."  
  
The teens and Kurt went off, and Ororo looked at Lenny.  
  
"What do you mean, if something happens to you?" she said. Lenny shrugged.  
  
"Well, you hear a shot, grab the kid and keep going. Don't worry, we practically already have him safe. But listen, run three feet to my side and a little bit behind so people think you're chasing me to get the kid back, then you'll be in less danger, got it?" Ororo nodded and opened her mouth to say something when they both heard a loud bellow.  
  
"ONE! GO!" A yell followed and the crowd next to them moved, some backwards and some forward. Lenny took a deep breathe and yelled.  
  
"FOUR!" Immediately she bolted off while more screams started as the other three teenagers launched themselves into the battle. After a moment Lenny broke out again, carrying the little boy and running past Ororo as fast as she could, clutching the boy to her chest and knocking startled people out of her way. Ororo followed as fast as she could, still taken aback by how fast things had changed and happened since she had woken up on Christmas morning.  
  
"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" A shout rang out right before a gun did, and more screaming in the crowds started. Ororo could hear men in back of her chasing as more shots rang out. Ahead Lenny jumped over people on the ground, still carrying the little boy. Suddenly a red light erupted and hit some of the men, sending them flying. Ororo whirled around and saw Scott, carrying an unconscious woman over one shoulder and one hand up on his visor. More screams started and peopled bolted, more guns were fired and the cops in the area started pulling out their own guns as people ran by. Scott disappeared into the crowds again.  
  
"Lenny!" Ororo shouted, no longer to find the teen. Suddenly she saw her, up ahead and on the ground, covering the little boy with her body as people stampeded by, one tripping over her and laying still with a bullet in his back. "Lenny!" Ororo ran up to her. The teen struggled to get upright, panting hard and handing the boy to her.  
  
"Keep going, I'll get there, just keep going," she said, completely out of breath. Ororo nodded and ran.  
  
Kurt was already at the alley when Ororo came up, his hand had a cut across it and a bruise on his cheek. He smiled at her and the teens Charlie and Rodrigo looked up, also grinning.  
  
"We did it!" he said. Ororo carried the boy inside and sat on an empty crate.  
  
"Yes, where are the others?" she said.  
  
"Rebecca had to go, but she's ok. We were waiting for you and Lenny. Where is she?" Charlie asked. Ororo frowned and then turned white.  
  
"I don't know! She handed the boy to me and then I ran! Oh my god, what if she was shot?" Ororo said, looking back.  
  
"Whoa, kill the motor Ororo, she's probably on her way. She probably handed the kid to ta cause she was too tired and already a marked girl, loads of people saw her carrying him. We'll wait here. How is the kid anyway?" Rodrigo asked. Ororo looked at him.  
  
"I think he passed out, but he looks alright. Some bruises, a few minor cuts and scrapes, nothing too serious." Ororo said, setting the little boy down. The snow had stopped and it seemed to get warmer, Kurt noticed Ororo's eyes were white while the clouds cleared away and the sun shone down.  
  
"Ok, here I am, anyone miss me?" The group turned around and saw a red- faced Lenny standing in the entrance of the alley, looking around and then coming in. Right behind her came Samantha.  
  
"Lenny! I thought you were hurt!" Ororo said. Lenny grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I bumped my knee when I tripped." Lenny said. Samantha rolled her eyes.  
  
"I found her limping past the police and told her to cut out the dramatics. How's the boy?" she said.  
  
"Good, though he is unconscious," Kurt said. Lenny smiled at him.  
  
"I couldn't believe how you were fighting," she said. "I saw you when I picked up Taylor. You were like a terminator!" she laughed. Then she saw the bewildered looks on her friend's faces. "Oh yeah, the kid told me his name; Taylor. Nice name."  
  
"Where are your friends? The telepath and the laser dude?" Samantha asked. "I saw them back there, that was cool."  
  
"We don't know, they'll be here soon though, they knew our plan." Ororo said. "Maybe we should go back and look for them."  
  
"I'll stay with Taylor, I need to lie low for a bit," Samantha said. "If I go back now my dad'll think I was involved with that whole fiasco."  
  
"We'll go with ya Ororo," Lenny said. Rodrigo and Charlie nodded.  
  
When the group got back there were cops everywhere and a bunch of men sitting in a group on the ground, and several bodies were being taken away, sheets covering them, though one had an orange furred hand hanging out limply. Ororo looked around, and ahead of them the saw Scott, Logan, and Jean standing and talking to some officers, a couple of others, obviously mutants, near them and looking nervous, most with cuts and bruises all over their faces and arms.  
  
"That them?" Lenny asked, nodding at Scott. Ororo and Kurt nodded. Lenny looked around and then saw a group of people standing around someone on the ground. Lenny walked over, and to her surprise saw her grandmother laying on the pavement. Kurt watch Lenny go and followed her as she pushed through a crowd. Some of the the people saw her and backed the others away to make room for her.  
  
Lenny looked down and kneeled by her grandmother, looking at one of the paramedics.  
  
"What happened to her?" she asked.  
  
"Shot in the back, the bullet went through her right lung," the young man answered. Kurt made his way up and behind Lenny, who as a last rattling breathe escaped the old woman's lips, closed the old her eyes and muttered a short prayer, then stood.  
  
"I'm sorry," the paramedic said. Lenny looked at him.  
  
"I'm not, she was never happy here. Maybe she's better off dead, and I don't care how cruel I sound," she replied, and walked away stone faced. Kurt looked back at the old woman and noticed that her hand was still clutching a sign that said "Mutants are Demons" in her bony hand, and then he followed Lenny.  
  
"You are upset though," he called. "That she is dead." Lenny turned around.  
  
"Of course I am," she said. "I just know she'll be better off in a place where there's no one like you or Ororo or me to bother her. She hated mutants, and the people who support them. I feel happy for her."  
  
"Do you have any other family?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Nope, but I'm almost old enough to be on my own, only two months. I've got everything now, my grandmother wasn't bad off when it comes to money, and now no more rallies against mutants, huh?"  
  
"Yes," Kurt said. Lenny walked closer and took his wrist, looking at the image inducer on it.  
  
"It must be awful, having to wear this when your out in public. What do you look like underneath its hologram?" she asked. Kurt looked uncomfortable and she smiled, letting go. "Never mind, just curious." She said.  
  
"Vait," Kurt said as she turned to walk away. Looking around he switched it off and looked at Lenny with his naturally yellow eyes. She looked at his sharp teeth and blue skin, and then for a while at his eyes and nodded.  
  
"You still have pretty eyes," she said. "Only now their more original," she joked. Kurt smiled and switched the image inducer back on, and she was again looking at a normal human being.  
  
"Kurt, Scooter says we're gonna go back- who is, oh it's that girl again," Logan said, walking over. He looked at Lenny, who looked back.  
  
"My name's Lenny, you one of Kurt's friends?" Lenny said.  
  
"The name's Logan, and I'm one of his more dangerous friends." Logan said, glaring at the teen.  
  
"I bet, what do you have?" Snikt. Logan held up his fist with three metal claws sticking out of it. Lenny looked at them and smiled. "Cool, bet those are good in a fight." Logan blinked and nodded.  
  
"Vere are you going after this?" Kurt asked. Lenny shrugged.  
  
"Home, gonna hold down the fort. Grandma always had security issues, she has everything from unbreakable locks to bullet-proof windows. I'm probably gonna need them," she said. "Mutant haters never hurt me 'cause of my grandmother, but now that she's gone one of them probably wants to get all snipery." She laughed. "You should visit me some time, here's the address. Just pop in, I'll wait," she said, and handed a slip of paper with an address and phone number to Kurt. "Bye Kurt." Then she turned and walked away.  
  
"Well, she wasn't that bad I guess," Logan said. Kurt smiled at him.  
  
"Maybe I'll go next veek even," he said. Logan rolled his eyes.  
  
"Whatever elf, but now we gotta go." He said. Kurt followed him and put the slip of paper away.  
  
*****  
  
Almost Year Later  
  
It was almost Christmas, four days left until the day, and Kurt was again carrying his bags to meet with his friends. Suddenly he found himself on the same street he had a year before, when he first saw Lenny. He had kept contact with her mostly through phone and letters, though she had visited the mansion twice and he had visited her apartment once. They had become close friends, and he had gone with her to her grandmother's funeral. His hand held a letter in his pocket, inviting him to a Christmas dinner on the 24th, which would be attended by all of Lenny's friends.  
  
Kurt wondered what Lenny was up to at the moment, was she cleaning? Hanging out with her friends? Relaxing at home? Kurt smiled to himself, probably trying to learn how to cook a turkey in time for the dinner.  
  
Back at the mansion Kurt went up to his room to wrap his gifts, smiling at the kids and adults in the hallways. Halfway through wrapping the presents he heard a knock on the door.  
  
"Just a moment!" he called, throwing a blanket over the presents on the bed. He opened his door and to his surprise saw Ororo standing with Rebecca and Rodrigo.  
  
"Rebecca! Rodrigo!" Kurt cried happily. Rodrigo smiled sadly.  
  
"Hey Kurt," he said. Rebecca didn't reply.  
  
"Vot's vrong?" Kurt asked. Ororo backed off.  
  
"It's Lenny," Rebecca said. "She was shot." Kurt was jerked, taken off guard. He stared at Rebecca and then at Rodrigo.  
  
"Vot?" he said weakly. A tear fell down Rebecca's pale cheek.  
  
"Lenny's dead." She said in a shaky voice. Kurt stood shocked for a moment, then backed away, sitting on his bed and staring at Rebecca, his mouth hanging open.  
  
"Vot happened?" he choked out.  
  
"She was waking down the street and some protester finally got his chance to kill her," Rodrigo answered. Kurt put his head in his hands, still barely able to grasp the truth of the situation.  
  
"Vy?" he said to no one in particular. "Vy now?"  
  
"Maybe because it's almost Christmas, same time Mrs. Cliffing was killed, because of our idea," Rodrigo suggested. "I don't know, there were a lot of people upset about that thing, and it was blamed on Len. Anyway, we just wanted to tell you in person, we'll send you the date of the funeral." Rodrigo turned away quickly and walked out, and Rebecca gave Kurt a quick hug before following her friend. Ororo walked in after.  
  
"Oh Kurt, I'm so sorry," she said, sitting next to him. Kurt looked away, a tear in his eye threatening to fall.  
  
"I vould like to be alone now," he said. Ororo patted him on the back and left.  
  
Three days later Kurt left the mansion to go to the funeral, Lenny had been cremated and her ashes were going to be spread into the Hudson River. During the entire funeral Kurt neither looked nor talked to anyone. After the ceremony Rebecca, Samantha, Charlie, and Rodrigo caught up with Kurt.  
  
"Kurt, wait up! Dude!" Charlie grabbed Kurt's arm, and the mutant turned around slowly.  
  
"You ok?" Samantha asked. "I mean, considering..." Kurt nodded.  
  
"I have to go," he said. The four young adults looked at him and nodded.  
  
"But remember, we're here if you need us," Rebecca said. Kurt nodded and walked away. That night he stayed in his room, and when Ororo went to check on him she heard him praying inside.  
  
"He still upset?" Logan asked, coming up behind Ororo. The white haired weather-witch nodded.  
  
"Yes," she said. Logan grunted.  
  
"She was a good kid, didn't even flinch when she saw my claws. Said they were cool and then walked away. Not many humans like that," Logan said. Ororo nodded.  
  
"She talked about getting shot like it was no big deal last year, told me to get the kid if she was hurt and keep running." She said, looking at the ceiling. Then she sighed. "I think we should give Kurt some space," she said. Logan nodded and the pair walked off. Inside the room Kurt had heard everything the pair said, and another tear flowed down his cheek. After a while he fell into an uneasy, restless sleep and had strange dreams.  
  
~~~~~  
  
He was running down a crowded street, a bunch of men behind him. Looking up he saw a fire escape and tried to teleport it, but he could not. Looking at his wrist he saw blue fur, and that his image inducer were gone. The men were shouting at him, threats and bad words. He turned into a small alley and the men ran by.  
  
Breathing hard Kurt sat on an empty crate, and then looked to his left, down the alley. To his surprise Ororo, holding the little mutant named Taylor was standing there, smiling at him. Taylor laughed and waved, but Kurt looked away.  
  
"Oh come on Kurt, smile!" Ororo said cheerfully. "It's Christmas morning, the day is warm, and we're all here!" And from behind her Rebecca, Samantha, Charlie and Rodrigo emerged, also grinning and waving.  
  
"Smile dude!" Charlie said.  
  
"But ve are not all here!" Kurt said. "Lenny is gone."  
  
"Really?" Rebecca said, looking bewildered.  
  
"Ok, here I am, anyone miss me?" Kurt spun around, and to his astonishment he saw Lenny, ginning from ear to ear and holding a small box. "Hey man, smile!" she said to Kurt.  
  
"But you are dead!" he said, astonished. Lenny laughed.  
  
"Yeah, but it's Christmas Eve!" she said. "Merry Christmas, don't open it till tomorrow!" she smiled again, tossing the box to Kurt, who caught it.  
  
"Ve met last year," Kurt said, suddenly hit by the memory of them in the small alley in New York. "Ve had saved the boy and you came, told us his name, and then vent back vith us to the rally to find Scott and Jean and the others." Lenny nodded, still grinning.  
  
"That's it, now keep going and then sooner or later your gonna smile," she said. "Wow, you're really depressed right now. I'm glad you're missing me, but it's Christmas! This isn't the time or place for bad feelings, I've never felt bad tonight or especially tomorrow. Now listen up, I've gotta go soon. I want you to get down there with your friends and smile at least twice, laugh once and not stare off into space all the time. You've got friends and a great home. And it's not like you'll never see me again," she said, still smiling.  
  
"You mean?" Kurt said. Lenny grinned.  
  
"Well duh, I'm not gonna just disappear. I'll wait for you, and everyone else. So now wake up and get downstairs! You're missing the turkey!"  
  
~~~~~  
  
Kurt woke with a start, and looked around his dark room for any sign of his friend. Then he sighed, it was a dream. But still, it wouldn't hurt to smile and be with his other friends for a little while. Kurt walked down the corridors and down the stairs to the dining room, smelling the delicious fragrance of turkey and hearing laughter and talk. He walked into the dining room and everyone looked up, then smiled.  
  
"Well look who came down for some food," Ororo said, patting an empty seat nearby.  
  
"Lucky half-pint didn't cook, or he'd have gone the other way!" Logan joked. Further down the table Kitty said "Hey!" and threw a roll at Logan, which bounced off his head. Scott laughed at him when he found a moment later he was wearing a bowl of pudding on his lap. Logan grinned at him. "Whoops, my fault Scooter, sorry," he said.  
  
"Oh Logan," Jean rolled her eyes and helped Scott wipe up the mess. "That was a waste of pudding."  
  
"Hey! What about my lap?" Scott demanded.  
  
"You'll live Scott," Rogue replied. "Now cut it out, both of you!" Logan and Scott exchanged brief loos but then ignored eachother, talking with the other X Men. Ororo passed the turkey to Kurt, who made himself smile and thank her.  
  
"You alright Kurt?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," Kurt said. "I'm doing much better."  
  
*****  
  
"IT'S CHRISTMAS MORNING EVERYONE GET UP!" Kurt lifted his head off the pillow sleepily and then groaned softly, dropping it back down. Kitty however, would not be ignored. "GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP!!!" Kurt heard a door creak open and then Logan.  
  
"SHUT UP!" he roared. "PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" Then a door slammed shut again, and Kitty started laughing.  
  
"Who gave you those Santa shorts Wolvie?" she called. "They look very dashing on you!" Kurt sat up and shook his head, there was no way he was going to get to sleep again. Grabbing his clothes and changing out of his night shirt and shorts he stretched and remembered the briefest dream he had ever had. What's more he had forgotten most of it, remembering only a brief glimpse of Lenny smiling and nodding at him.  
  
"Alright, I'm going," Kurt sighed. He opened the door and Kitty turned around, making him start to laugh out loud. She was dressed in red tights and a green coat with a Santa had on her head, a white tutu around her waist and a white wand in her hand. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"I believe in Christmas, but this costume was not my idea," she said. "I lost a bet with Rogue and Jubilee."  
  
"OH MY GOOOOD! THERE ARE ELVES!" Bobby and St John started laughing so hard they had to lean on their doorframe for support. Kitty glared at them and then quickly dashed through the wall of their room, emerging a moment later with two pairs of boxers in her hand. One was white with snowmen and reindeer on them, all with big smiles. The other had fairies on it, in pinks and blue and greens. Bobby and St John stopped laughing.  
  
"Hey! Give those back!" they shouted. Kitty started to laugh and ran down the hall.  
  
"Maybe you boys would like to tell me who's is who's?" she taunted. "Oh, I bet these fairies are Bobby's, how sweet!"  
  
"No! Please! We're sorry we laughed just give those back!" The two boys ran after her down the hall, Kurt still chuckling. He walked downstairs and found a bunch of the X Men already waiting and holding cups of coffee, looking tired.  
  
"We had Santa duty," Scott explained, then he yawned widely. Hank looked just as tired and Ororo appeared to be taking a nap on the sofa.  
  
"Vell, are ve going to start presents or vat?" Kurt asked as the remainder of the team walked in. Rogue grinned.  
  
"You're worse than some of those little kids up there," she said, walking over to the tree and picking up a gift. "Hey look! It's for you! Guess you're starting this year off Kurt," she said, tossing it to Kurt. He caught it and froze, suddenly noticing how much it looked like the gift Lenny had tossed him in his dream. For a moment he just stared at the label. It had his name on it, but there was no name on it besides his.  
  
"So who's it from?" Logan asked loudly. Kurt blinked and looked up, realizing everyone was looking at him. He shrugged.  
  
"No giver name," he said.  
  
"Well, then open it elf, I wanna get to my presents," Logan growled. Ororo leaned over to Rogue.  
  
"And you thought Kurt was impatient," she whispered. Both girls giggled and Logan glared at them. Kurt slowly and carefully took off the wrapping paper, revealing a small velvet box.  
  
"Oh! That's a ring box!" Kitty said, walking in and slightly out of breath.  
  
"What the hell happened to you? I thought he was the only elf here," Logan said, staring at Kitty's costume. She sat down with a huff and Rogue started to laugh again, but Kurt ignored all of this and opened the box to reveal a silver ring, a beautiful cross carved into the surface. Kurt slowly took the ring out and realized it was big enough to fit over his fingers.  
  
"Wow, that's beautiful!" Jean said, coming forward to look at it better. Kurt held it up to the light and then noticed something on the inside of the ring, and he held it closer to look at it. Engraved were the words "To My Best Blue Friend, LC". LC, Leonard Cliffing. Kurt stared at the initials and suddenly felt warmer, this was a gift from Lenny.  
  
"Something wrong Kurt?" Ororo asked. Kurt snapped out of his thoughts and then put the ring on, the silver shined brightly in the morning light.  
  
"No, I'm fine. Just an old friend's gift. Vy doesn't Logan go?" he said.  
  
"Finally it's ok for me to get my stuff," Logan growled, waling forward and tossing presents from the tree, each one caught by it's owner as they looked up as they're name was called. "Jean, Ro, Scooter, Hank, ah HA!" He immerged from the flying packages with a colorful box in his hands, then moved off to a chair and sat down to open it.  
  
Kurt watched his friends poke around for more of their gifts when he heard a knock on the door. Everyone looked up but Kurt walked over.  
  
"I'll get it," he said. He opened the door and immediately Samantha, Charlie, Rodrigo, and Rebecca pounced on him, bringing them all down in a heap.  
  
"MERRY CHRISTMAS BLUE GUY!" They yelled. They got up and looked around.  
  
"Oh no, he's gone!" Samantha said, Kurt was no longer under them, a bit of blue smoke and a smell was all that was left. The X Men, who had laughed when they saw Kurt go down, laughed harder when they heard Charlie scream.  
  
"AI!" Charlie leaped forward as Kurt tapped him on a shoulder. "Whoa man, don't do that to me!" he said.  
  
"Sorry," Kurt said. Rebecca held a slightly squashed box.  
  
"Ok, presents and then breakfast, if you've already had it then you're gonna have two of them, it's Christmas!" she said.  
  
"We haven't eaten yet, and if you're going to cook it then please stay," Ororo said.  
  
"Logan, make one crack about my pancakes and I'll stuff a cushion down your throat," Kitty warned as Logan opened his mouth. He glared at her and shut it again, returning to his presents.  
  
"Alright then, time for presents anyway. I see you haven't gotten much done, you lazy mutants!" Samantha said, pushing Kitty over and putting down a small heap of gifts. Kurt smiled and help Charlie and Rodrigo pick up the dropped gifts and bring them in.  
  
"How vos your trip?" he asked.  
  
"Long, and noisy." Rebecca said.  
  
"Hey! We were all sleeping!" Charlie replied.  
  
"Yeah, you guys are the loudest snorers I've ever heard!" Rebecca replied. Everyone laughed and Kurt sat down, looking at his ring again and then at his friends. It looking like this wasn't going to be such a bad Christmas after all.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
*Sniff*, well, first I made this a happy story, then I got depressed again, but I do think I recovered well! Aww, Kurt had a ring from Lenny! And Becca, Sam, Charlie, AND Rodrigo spent Christmas at the mansion! Anyway, please review. Tell me if it's good, bad, funny, sad, just review! Please!  
  
-Ice Lynx 


End file.
